Category Archives: Polyphenols

Damsons (Prunus domestica): Antioxidants

Posted on April 16, 2024 by Robert Barrington

Damsons (Prunus domestica) are an edible drupaceous fruit from a species of plum tree. Damsons are often used for jam (conserves) as well as in pies and crumbles. They have a tart taste and a deep rich red colour in … Continue reading →

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Tribulus terrestris: Pharmacology

Posted on March 28, 2023 by Robert Barrington

Tribulus terrestris is a plant that belongs to the Zygophyllaceae family of plants. Traditional uses for the plant include improving vitality, sexual function and physical performance in men. The active principles in Tribulus terrestris extract are thought to be flavonoids … Continue reading →

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Do Flavonoids Have to Be Absorbed To Be Beneficial?

Posted on October 14, 2022 by Robert Barrington

Flavonoids are a group of phytochemicals that are structurally polyphenolic. This means they are made of numerous phenolic rings chemically bonded together. The structure of flavonoids is such that they contain a variable amount of hydroxyl groups and this gives … Continue reading →

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A Spoonful of Sugar: On the Sugar Content of Honey

Posted on September 20, 2022 by Robert Barrington

Honey is a food with healing properties. This is paradoxical, because honey is nearly all sugar. The sugar content of honey varies depending on the bees that have produced it, but in general honey contains a mixture of sucrose, fructose … Continue reading →

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Polyphenols in Berries

Posted on August 16, 2022 by Robert Barrington

Berries are a rich source of polyphenols, many of which belong to the anthocyanin subgroup of flavonoids. Anthocyanins are responsible for the red, blue and purple colour of berry skins. Black crowberry (Empetrum nigrum), honeyberry (Lonicera kamtschatica) and European cranberry … Continue reading →

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Wine Polyphenols: Contributions to Taste

Posted on August 15, 2022 by Robert Barrington

Polyphenols are secondary metabolites produced by plants. When animals and humans eat plants they absorb the polyphenols and obtain health effects. Polyphenols are antioxidants and anti-inflammatory in nature and this confers protection to the consumer. However, polyphenols are also important … Continue reading →

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Polyphenols in Nettle

Posted on August 12, 2022 by Robert Barrington

Nettles (Urtica dioica) are a rich source of nutrients which may explain their medicinal effects. Nettles belong to the Urticaceae family and grow wild in a number of regions including Asia, Europe, North America and parts of Africa. The leaves, … Continue reading →

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How Do Polyphenols Protect From Obesity?

Posted on August 11, 2022 by Robert Barrington

Polyphenols may have a number of health effects that include protection from obesity. Polyphenols are not the only reason that the Mediterranean diet protects from obesity, but they may contribute to this effect. The Mediterranean diet is high in plant … Continue reading →

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Polyphenols for Dylipidaemia

Posted on August 10, 2022 by Robert Barrington

Plants synthesise polyphenols, and therefore diets rich in fruits and vegetables contain high amounts of polyphenols. The health benefits of polyphenols have been investigated with respect to their ability to prevent or reverse the dysfunctional elevation of lipid levels that … Continue reading →

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Polyphenols as Anti-Aging Agents

Posted on August 9, 2022 by Robert Barrington

Polyphenols are a diverse group of phytochemicals characterised by multiple phenolic rings. Plants are rich in polyphenols and so diets high in fruits and vegetables, or herbs and spices, are high in polyphenols. Evidence suggests that polyphenols have significant health … Continue reading →

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